We believe that all that we are and all that we have is of God.   Decision making about how we use our personal and material resources, “stewardship,” is part of our Christian life. Giving money to support the church’s work is one aspect of stewardship.

Rarely are we asked to give our life as Jesus did, and as the martyrs of the faith have done through the ages.  Most of us do not take vows of poverty as many religious people have done.  We are, though, called to ask ourselves honestly what we are able to give.  There is a tradition among many Christians of tithing, which is giving one tenth of one’s income to God’s work.  For some people that is the right thing to do.  Others are called to give a larger or smaller proportion of what they earn or what they have. 

God’s Work may be understood in many ways.  It might include caring for the poor and disadvantaged through a “secular” organization.  It might include providing a college scholarship to a needy person. It might include choosing a career in service to one’s fellow men and women.  It might include support for an advocacy organization that works for social or environmental justice.  For a Christian, however, the church is a main avenue through which we reach out, channeling the love of God and of Jesus Christ to a world in need of healing, renewal and redemption.  We give to the church not because of what it is, but because of what it does, for us and for others outside its walls.

At MPC we give money in four ways:

We contribute week by week or month by month in cash or by check to the “operating budget” of the church.  Some people contribute via a single annual contribution.  For some people making a donation of appreciated securities once or twice a year is advantageous and enables them to give more generously.  The regular offerings provide the basic income for the church and are used to fund the church’s expenses as well as to contribute to mission projects nearby and around the world.

“Apportionment” is an additional small amount that each person is asked to contribute each year. This money goes to help support the central offices of our denomination—the Presbytery of Baltimore and the Presbyterian Church USA, headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.

Many people find it helpful to make a “pledge” each year.  In this way they thoughtfully and prayerfully commit themselves to regular contributions to the church “off the top,” instead of each week making a contribution based on what is left over after everything else is paid for.

Numbered offering envelopes are made available to each member or regular contributor to facilitate regular giving and accurate accounting.

Many people like to supplement the budget for mission by making extra gifts.  This is usually done by placing a gift in an envelope that is found in the pews, in response to a Minute for Mission, or other appeal.  Sometimes there are special appeals for help in a particular situation, such as a natural disaster.

We at MPC do not believe that the worth of a congregation is to be judged by the opulence or elegance of its physical plant.  Nevertheless the church as an institution needs to be maintained and to grow.  From time to time there are special appeals, for example to replace a furnace or to install new windows.  MPC members have traditionally responded very generously to such needs as they arise.

Several ways exist for us to plan gifts to the church from that portion of our assets that exists outside our checking accounts.  The simplest of these is a bequest in a will.  In this way a person’s assets continue to support the work of the church after the person’s death.  Other mechanisms exist also—designating the church as a beneficiary from a life insurance policy or a pension plan, for example.  A variety of trusts can be set up that will provide income for the donor during his or her life span but will also provide funds for the church that continue after the person’s death.   Bequests and planned gifts of this sort may be directed towards building the endowment funds that provide long-term support for the church’s finances.

ACCOUNTABILITY

Each Sunday two elders have the task of recording gifts and offerings in a computer file and depositing the money in the bank.  From these records, quarterly and annual reports are prepared that are sent to each contributor by e-mail or on paper.  If any errors occur they can easily be corrected.  Each year, in late January, financial reports, showing how all funds have been utilized, are presented by the Treasurer to the congregation at its Annual Meeting, when there is an opportunity for questions to be raised and answered.   How the funds are used by the congregation is an important aspect of our collective stewardship.

This information is provided for you by the Stewardship Committee.  If you have any comments or questions, please bring them to any member of the committee:

Bill Breakey
Mary Gaut
Connie Newton
Brad Sack